


"I love you"

by CarnationGem (Akumeoi)



Series: Ciavran [10]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Becoming a Couple, F/M, I Love You, Love Confessions, Post-Canon, Post-Game(s), Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-19
Updated: 2015-10-19
Packaged: 2018-11-09 05:19:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11097717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akumeoi/pseuds/CarnationGem
Summary: Zevran says it first.





	"I love you"

“So… what now?” Zevran asked. It was late evening on the road in Ferelden: the tent had been set up, the fire built, the dinner caught, cooked, and eaten. Now Ciara and Zevran were sitting on the ground on opposite sides of the fire while Ciara stowed their loose gear in her pack for the night.

“What do you mean?” she asked, rummaging around in the bottom of the pack. “What next as in, ‘I’m bored, what next?’ or 'Where are we going now?’ Because frankly, I have no idea. You’re the one leading us out of Antiva. Are we lost?” she teased him. Having found what she was looking for, the sheath of the cooking knife, she withdrew it from the pack and stowed the knife in it, then put them both away.

Zevran shook his head. “No, no. I know where we are going, and I am certainly not bored. What I mean is, what do we do now… you and me. The two of us.”

“Go on as before, I assume,” Ciara said, wondering what Zevran could possibly be getting at. “You know. Killing darkspawn and putting upstart nobles in their place, making sarcastic jokes, flirting incessantly, that sort of thing.”

“Yes, that is all very well,” Zevran said, standing up abruptly and folding his arms. “But let me put it this way. In the past, I have never before had a 'you and me’ to worry about. It has always been just me. I think we are supposed to have some kind of discussion about that, no? That is what is normally expected?” He turned away from her, gazing into the dark woods around them.

“Oh.” Now Ciara understood. Putting the bag down, she thought for a moment. “I assumed we were a couple. Are we not?”

“I… yes.” Taking a deep breath and turning back towards her, Zevran said in a low voice, “Look…”

He fell silent for so long that Ciara thought he might have forgotten what he was going to say, or wanted to drop the conversation entirely. She fell back to packing in silence and was nearly done by the time Zevran finally took an audible breath and spoke again.

“Ciara. My Ciara. What I’m trying to say is, I love you.”

Ciara nearly dropped the flint she was going to put away. Sitting back on her heels and looking up at him, she gave a wry smile.

“As you said outside the gates of Denerim… I know,” she said. Though it was a simple fact, her tone was far more tender than the surprised admission Zevran had stuttered in response to her then.

“It was as true in Denerim as it is now,” Zevran said hesitantly, his eyes flicking to Ciara’s earring, then back to her face, though he wasn’t looking her in the eyes. “But… perhaps I did not know it then. Or perhaps… it was that I could not say it.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Ciara said. Closing the pack, she stood up and leaned against the tree behind her. “It would have been fine with me if you had never said it.” And that was something that was true too - but what she didn’t say was that it would have been fine because she had resigned herself to the idea that such explicit words of affection were simply not in his vocabulary. And that in spite of that resignation, her heart was now fluttering softly as if preparing to fly away.

Frowning, Zevran said, “I thought it was important. I… made up my mind to tell you around the time we left Antiva City, but I was not sure when would be a good time. I apologise for the lack of appropriate fanfare.”

Ciara laughed, and wondered if Zevran knew she loved him even more when one of them was laughing. “Sorry, Zevran, but you can’t really top going off to fight an archdemon. If that’s what you meant by 'appropriate fanfare’.”

Leaning towards her slightly, Zevran grinned. “That is not precisely what I had in mind. I was thinking of something more romantic than impending doom.”

“There’s nothing more romantic than impending doom, or haven’t you read any third rate romance novels?”

“You mean like that one you once gave to me? That horrible thing? Is that seriously where you expect me to learn the delicate and subtle art of love?” Zevran asked in mock horror. Laughing at the memory, Ciara took Zevran’s hands. Looking down at them, Zevran hesitated as if he wasn’t sure how to respond. Then his fingers tightened gently around hers and he looked back up into her eyes.

“Well, I’m sure that had I finished it, it would have had some excellent advice for me. But as I did not, I suppose I will just have to continue making things up as I go along. That strategy seems to work quite well for you, my Warden, so why should I not follow?” His voice was serious, but his gentle grip on her hands did not waver. Ciara nodded.

“I think you’re right. We should talk about this,” she said. “But you know, the last relationship I had lasted less than a day, so I’m no expert either. I suppose we can make things up together.”

Kissing her, Zevran said, “Together. That sounds good.”

**Author's Note:**

> That's right, Ciara gave Zevran the romance novel that the game intended for Wynne. She thought he would find it funny. Sorry not sorry, Wynne.
> 
> Comments welcome!


End file.
